SPORTING.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 43, 14 January 1921, Page 7

SPORTING.

Friday.— Otautau races. Wednesday.— Wairio races. First race at Wairio on Wednesday, 1 p.m. Otautau acceptances on Sathrday evening. La Palmas has gone wrong and has been turned out. Acceptances for the Wairio meeting close this evening. Lady Joffre has met with an accident and will be another. unlikely starter at Wairio. The nominations for the Tapanui meeting on 28 inst. easily constitute a record for the inland club. Kilkee won both the Wairio and Otautau Cup races last year. He isn't engaged in the these races next week but Linden is, and he might win a double. A horsethat looks sur,e to win Tete© ' next. week is Red Admiral, and I wouldn't put the best' race of the two days past him. The maiden trotter Hylas got into a wire fence, writes our South Hillend correspondent, and got so badly cut that he will not be a starter at Wairio. If Hagerty's on him my money will be on Dunmure in the Waire,e Leapchase. The course will suit him well, and the dis. tance is just the full journey. Tom ivett's neddy can go well. Any one who saw Buller at work in the Shorts Handicap on the second day of the Invercargill meeting should remember the effort he made, when trying to select a winner for the Flying Handicap at Otautau next Friday. They ar,e a poor lot of sprinters to be as near him in the eard. t Mandrake isn't engaged at Wairio and ] to make up for it he has been extensively j nominated at Otautau. He was running . on well in the first mile race at Inver- i cargill, and has not been harshly treated by Abbey Jones in the mile welter at Otautau. He beat Hineamaru out of sight and is w meeting her on 31bs better terms. If old "York's Drift"ais only a-quarter of his old self, won't he slate the mob in the Wairio Cup when it comes to racing ov,er the last quarter of a mile. He tried to win this cup some years ago, but Marsa beat him badly; and then the "old ' horth" went on and won the Dunedin j Cup and the big handicap on the third day just a month later. The Clifden Cup this year will be worth i £110 and is for hacks only. The whole programme is for hacks, and as there is plenty of this class of horse about the club should receive good nominations. Abbey Jones, of Winton (the other Abbey is back from his world tour now), will frame the handicaps, and nominations close on February 5. The clifden Club has issued its programme for the annual race-meeting, on February 23rd, and gives £550 in stakes. j The programme draws special attention > to the "picturesque cours,e," and the j Club boasts of no less than twenty-six ; stewards. I should think that if there are any settlers in the district who are j not included they must feel slighted. j Though he won five races straight on J end Mazama did not beat a good field in j any one of the five races, and in his last ! effort gained mere advantage at the start J than the margin he won by, while none ) of the races were longer than a mile. In | giving the son of King's Guest and Elaird j 10st 121bs in the Otautau Cup Abbey i has dealt to him a heavy load indeed. | Taking a line through the New Year j meeting handicaps, Abbey makes him out to he 81bs better than Radial over a mile j and a quarter, 161bs better than Silver Peak, and 261bs better than Rorke's Drift and Eleus. In his past performances, that is before conring into Mr Hazlett's stable Mazama had the repntation of being a stayer, but he would need more j than a reputation to be entitled to be handicapped in this manner. In the

Wrey's Bush Welter over a mile, Mazama is handicapped by Abbey Jones to give Linden 261bs, and in the Otautau Cup, a quarter of a mile longer he has to give Linden 391-bs, and yet Linden ran Warlove to a head over a mile and a-quarter at Dunedin on Boxing Day at a difference of 141bs. But then Abbey didn't see them going round the course at Wingatui. Bill stone, Alex Mclvor, George Young and three horses have sailed for Wellington. All three were ®Well pleased with the weight allotted Eleus in the Wellington Cup, and it is just on the cards he might take it out. But there are better eattle to beat than he met at Invercargill! Silver Peak is just brilliant enough to do anything, and of the pair I like her chance best. Roseday, the third in the team, 'might have won a race at Wairio! An excellent train service for both horses and the public has been arranged for the Wairio meeting next Wednesday. A special train for horses with carriages attached leav,es Invercargill at 7.35 a.m. The ordinary 8.30 a.m. train will pick up passengers at side stations, and a fast special only stopping at Otautau will leave Invercargill at 10.35 a.m., arriving Wairio at 12.20 p.m. As the first race has been timed for 1 p.m. This will give passengers plenty of time to reach the course before the machine will close for the first race. Returning trains will leave Wairio, non stop between Wairio and Invercargill at 6.30 p.m., and others at 7 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. The 7 p.m. train connects with a special to Orepuki. Horses will be returned to Invercargill and Riverton by the 7.30 p.m. train. GORE NOTES. The "Mataura Ensign" reports : — For the Gore Racing Club's March meeting a programme on the same lines as last year has been drawn up. The programme has ye't to be approved by the Dunedin District Committee and the Trot. ting Association. The starting of Mr W. Norman at the Southland Summer Meeting has come in for a good deal of critiusm, but it should be remember, ed that Mr Norman only took up the task to see the club over its troubles. In fegard to starting, Mr F. Wallis has had no equal in Southland. Mr W. F. Dunne, the new handicapper for the Southland Racing Club, only met with moderate success as judged by the acceptances, but as. the club had a record meeting he may get a better acceptance list for the March meeting. The two-year-old pacer Downcast, by Adonis — Satinwood, is reported to have been taken to Ashburton by Mr D. Warren. There were a number of inquiries for the purchase oi) this horse alffcer his excellent showing at Wyndham on New Year's Day, but nothing has leaked out as to whetber he was sold or leased. Inquiries are heing made on all -hands for the purchase of Mr J. M. Peart's mare, Nellie Scott. It is understood that W. Fleming, of Christchurch, the well-known trainer, made a special offer for this mare, and that F. E. Jones, of Timaru, made a special trip to Gore to try and buy her. The writer first picked out this mare as one of the best maidens ev.er seen out at Gore. J. McLennan and A. Pringle, of Dunedin, also approached Mr Peart in regard to the lease of the mare. From the writer's point of view Mr Peart is foolish in not aocepting some of the offiers of leasing the mare, as he has no possible chance of training her properly. The price asked for the mare is £600, but at this figure there is not much chance of a sale. Mr Peart has a particularly good pacer, but the mare has not a chance of showing her best under fhe conditions in which she is trained. The writer understands that Mr Gardiner, a Gore amateur, will drive Nellie Scott in the Winton Trotting Cup.